People making bogus and threatening calls, including bomb threats thus diverting and wasting public resources will be thing of the past as Cabinet has approved the Compulsory Registration of Customers for Telephone Services Decree 2010.
Cabinet based its decision on a submission by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
Sayed-Khaiyum said a significant number of telephone users are misusing the service.
He added they have been impersonating government Ministers to obtain certain privileges and have threatened the lives of Government Ministers in an attempt to deter Ministers from the execution of their official duties.
According to Sayed-Khaiyum there is also a growing concern at the likelihood of mobile phones being used for money laundering and the planning and execution of crimes.
The Attorney-General said that a lot of overseas jurisdictions have taken the lead in imposing laws that make registration of telephone customer details compulsory.
He said that Fiji must now follow suit and protect its people and the country from the many threats and crimes that can be initiated or facilitated through the use of the telephone.
In this regard, Sayed-Khaiyum said the Compulsory Registration of Customers for Telephone Services Decree 2010, requires all current users to register their details with a telephone service provider within a month from the commencement of the Decree.
Under the Decree, telephone services will be suspended if they are not registered within the deadline.
He said for every new SIM card or fixed line telephone bought after the commencement date, customer details set out in the Decree must be registered before a service provider can provide services to that number.
He said in addition, any number which has not made or received any calls for 180 consecutive days will be disconnected and only reconnected upon fulfillment of registration requirements under the Decree.
Sayed-Khaiyum added fines will also be imposed under the Decree if the provisions are not fulfilled by the customer or the service provider.
Story by: Ronald Deo
